"McDopes" stay open

[Puffin13]

Hash cafes near border to stay
22 February 2007

AMSTERDAM — The municipality of Venlo will not shut down the hash cafes along the German border, nicknamed McDopes, even though the Council of State advised otherwise on Wednesday, ANP reports.

“Closing the hash cafes is not a sensible thing to do. It will frustrate our efforts to limit the nuisance in the city centre”, spokesperson for Venlo mayor Hubert Bruls said. He implied that if the hash cafes are gone, groups of young people hanging around and smoking in the centre would result in more complaints.

Complaints are now coming from the residents living near the hash cafes. In accordance with the city zoning, the area is actually suitable only for restaurants, not hash cafes, the Council of State said.

The city zoning plan can be changed to fit the new environment, Bruls replied.

The mayor and the town hall will study the recommendations of the Council of State further and come up with a solution.

Source: http://www.expatica.com/actual/article. ... y_id=36841